Protesting workers ground activities in Cross River varsity

From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

Protesting staff of the University of Cross River State have grounded activities in the state-owned institution.

Three unions in the institution comprise the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

On Thursday, the three unions working under the Joint Action Committee ordered workers to vacate offices and suspended all skeletal services previously maintained within the university.

Following a joint meeting on campus, union leaders directed that all administrative offices be locked, effectively halting operations and forcing both academic and non-academic staff, as well as students, to leave the premises.

A concerned staff member who declined to give his name said the action became necessary due to management’s failure to pay workers’ January and February 2026 salaries.

“We are demanding prompt payment of our salaries as and when due. Our December 2025 salary was only paid in late January 2026, and up till now, there is no indication that the January salary will be paid, let alone the February one,” he said.

He described the situation as unfair to workers and added that the unions had no option but to shut down offices until outstanding salaries were settled.

Reacting to the development, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Francesca Bassey, said management was making efforts to clear the salary backlog as soon as possible.